Samsung and LG launch Smartwatches Powered by Google’s New Software

On Thursday, Samsung unveiled a Gear Live smartwatch having an appearance similar to the Gear 2 smartwatch launched earlier this year. The newly launched Gear Live watch is powered by Google’s new software which is specifically designed for wearables.

Samsung said that, “It comes with 1.63-inch Super AMOLED (320×320 pixels) display, runs on a 1.2GHz processor coupled with 512MB of RAM, and features 4GB of inbuilt storage, apart from Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity. It is powered by a 300mAh battery, measures 37.9×56.4×8.9mm, and weighs 59 grams.”

It will be available for pre-order from the Google Play Store from July 7 at a price of USD 199. The Gear Live runs on Android Wear and includes features such as the heart rate monitor, IP67 rating for dust and water-resistance, and the other sensors onboard (accelerometer, gyroscope, compass).

Speaking on the launch, JK Shin, CEO and President of IT & Mobile Division, Samsung Electronics, said, “Samsung has been a pioneer in the quickly-evolving wearable market, and the launch of Gear Live furthers our efforts to deliver a simple and intuitive wearable experience to consumers. Through our long-term close collaboration with Google, we have successfully incorporated the capabilities of Android Wear into the Gear Live, in a way that only Samsung can do. I am confident that Samsung and Google together, we will grow the smart wearable market to positively impact consumers’ life.”

LG has unveiled an LG G Watch which also runs on Android wear and will be ship from July 7 at a price USD 229. It will be available for online pre-order from Google Play in 12 countries including the United States, France, Japan alongwith 27 markets such as Australia, Brazil, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore and Russia in early July.

G Watch is equipped with Google’s voice recognition service and can perform various tasks including checking email, sending text messages and an online search at users’ voice command.

It features a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, coupled with an always-on 1.65-inch IPS (280×280 pixels) display. Other specifications of the LG G Watch include 4GB of built-in storage, 512MB of RAM, a 400mAh battery, Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, and a 9-axis sensor. It has dimensions of 37.9 x 46.5 x 9.95mm, and weighs in at 63 grams.

G watch comes in Black Titan and White Gold, dust and water resistant for up to 30 minutes in one metre of water.

Speaking on the launch, Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of the LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company, said, “As one of the first to market with Android Wear, LG wanted to develop a product that functions as an essential companion device but most importantly, was simple to use. We wanted a device that would be simple to learn and so intuitive that users wouldn’t even have to think about how to use its features. That’s what the LG G Watch is all about.”